


Roll for Initiative

by NelwynP, nimiane04



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Banter, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Elves, F/M, Fanart, Flirting, Friendship, Gnomes, Half-Elves, Half-orc, Magic, Roleplay, SSMB, Tieflings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:07:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28138167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NelwynP/pseuds/NelwynP, https://archiveofourown.org/users/nimiane04/pseuds/nimiane04
Summary: Five adventurers in a world ruled by magic must complete a quest and by the end hopefully earn more than just a trove of treasure.Six friends gather to weave tales of high adventure as they banter, flirt and share stories while pretending to be fantasy heroes.Basically, what would happen if the characters from Sailor Moon were to play D&D!
Relationships: Hino Rei/Jadeite, Kino Makoto/Nephrite, Senshi/Shitennou
Comments: 10
Kudos: 9
Collections: Senshi & Shitennou Mini Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfiction was written for the SenshiShitennouMiniBang!  
> Thank you to the hard-working moderators of this challenge for dedicating so much time and energy and offering us their support.  
> And special thanks and hugs to my talented collaborator NelwynP for creating such beautiful works of art! I wish the artwork for the D&D characters I play were so spectacular!  
> Also, thank you to my polyglot translators Artimas and Lyrhia for aiding me in writing the French (Elven) dialogue. (Translation can be found in the end notes.)
> 
> Disclaimer: Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and D&D is property of Wizards of the Coast.

The bustling market square of Swanfort was abuzz with the murmur of a lively town.

The vendors lining the street at each side yelled their prices, dangled their wares from wooden stalls and talked in a fast, cheerful manner to all who would stop a moment and inquire.

A harried mother pulled her child along and away from the tempting sight of caramel apples while a group of young men tried to haggle down the price for leather pouches.

Heated in the rays of an afternoon sun, there was a certain peace in this mercantile town, a routine and lazy daze that came with summer…

“MY TURNIPS!!!” the angry voice was accompanied by the unmistakable sounds of wood splintering.

Heavy footfalls, clanking of metal and yells of indignation echoed through the square, bringing chaos in its wake.

“Pardon me, coming through!” The large fellow that came barreling from a side alley and right through the vegetable carts posed quite an intimidating figure.

Standing a head above all the rest might have already made him stand out, but add to that the green tint of his skin, the slightly protruding lower canines and pointed ears and people were bound to take a second and third glance when he passed by.

“You just had to start that bar fight!” Following in the giant’s wake, came a woman that climbed, side stepped, jumped and generally meandered through the crowd in a much more graceful manner than her bulldozing companion.

The shield strapped to her arm glinted silver details in the sun. Lifted slightly over her head, she used it to parry flying turnips and tomatoes while hiding her from prying eyes.

“They ruined my Seafood Special! Justice had to be served!” The green half-orc said, because yes, to the knowing eyes the man indeed seemed to carry the clear characteristics of his orc ancestry but of a shorter stature and less burly build inherited from his human side.

Running alongside these two warriors was a fey creature the size of a ten-year-old child, pink of hair and pointy eared; she carried a large backpack and multiple gadgets hanging from her overalls. Easily slipping among confused citizens and ducking under stalls, scattering small metal cubes in her wake.

“How are you still surprised he got defensive over his fancy food! He’s worse about that than Jazz is with his lute cords.” the pink haired fey mentioned with a laugh as she nimbly caught up to her longer legged companions.

“Speaking of… where is Jazz?” At the shield maiden’s inquiry, the three companions slowed down to frantically scan the surrounding area.

Over the frantic commotion of the crowd the crystal-clear chords of a lute could be heard, familiar like an old call to battle for the trio of companions that had stopped their mad rush in the middle of the street.

“Hah! Jazz has the right idea!” The half-orc announced with gusto, “Enough running!” and turned towards the area where more and more of their cloaked pursuers were arriving.

His roaring charge garnered the desired attention and three of the city guards turned and rushed at him.

The pink haired fey smiled at this new turn of events. “Perfect, I’ve been meaning to test my new toys,” and pressed a button on the device strapped to her wrist.

Small blasts of color and sparks ignited from the scattered cubes, distracting their opponents as the half-orc barreled through them.

“Woohoo! Another successful experiment to add to my collection!” the pink haired fey jumped with glee. “Well Journey, aren’t you joining the fun?”

“Ohh for the love of all that is holy! Fine, let’s do this the hard way!” The shield bearing woman closed her eyes, tilting her head to the sky, took a deep breath and exhaled a whispered prayer.

As her eyes opened, the once green irises were lost in the glowing white light that seemed to burn from within. The metal spiked head of her mace sparked with electricity as she charged into the growing chaos.

**One Hour Earlier**

The T’avern Inn was full during lunch hour. Local patrons and wealthy travelers frequented this up-and-coming establishment famed for its Elven culinary specialties. 

At a table in the corner an eclectic group of four were ostentatiously trying to flag down a waiter.

“What does a guy have to do to get some service around here?” The half-orc of the group complained.

His blond human companion raised a brow at this. “Actually wear a shirt next time? Just a suggestion.”

With a toothy grin that showed his protruding lower fangs, the half-orc shrugged his wide, bare shoulders. “The ladies never complain about it.” And winked at the brown-haired woman beside him.

Said woman tugged a loose strand of hair behind her elongated ear and rolled her eyes at the half-orc’s antics in a vain attempt to hide a blooming smile. “Why did we come to such a fancy Inn, Grim’Dur? Doesn’t seem like your type of place.”

“That’s classist, my dear Journey! Just because I’m a barbarian does not mean I don’t enjoy fine dining! This place has the best Elven cuisine in the county, and their crème brûlée is to kill for!” The green skinned man said while flipping through the menu.

“Can we afford it though? We haven’t had a proper paying quest for almost a month?” Their blonde companion chimed in after taking a look at their menu. “Also, everything here is in Elvish!!”

“Chill Jazz, I’ll help you translate what you don’t understand.” The pink haired gnome finally looked up from her menu to reassure her friend.

“That would be everything, Pyxis! You and Journey are the only ones who speak snob!”

Just as he finished saying that a handsome elf in black waiter’s garb came to take their order.

“Bonjour et bienvenue! Je serai votre serveur aujourd'hui. Êtes-vous prêt à commander?”

The server looked a bit disdainfully at the rag tag group seated at his designated table! Of course it would be him that gets the group of… _adventurers._ He almost shuddered at the thought as his eyes examined the pink haired girl in overalls with weird gadgets all around her, the half-elf woman in leather and scale armor that leaned her shield against the wall and the big brute of a half-orc which forgot to put on half his clothes! No doubt a boorish barbarian. At least the blonde human seemed stylish and smelled nice. Rather rakish looking too… he’d wager this one was a bard!

“Je vais vous prendre un hamburger et frites s’il vous plait! Et un verre de cidre.” The half-elf lady ordered. He’d expected her to know at least some basic form of Elven… but you could never be sure with half-elves.

“Pour moi, ça sera le poulet aux épices avec son dôme de riz, un milkshake au chocolat et… que me recommanderiez-vous en guise de dessert?”

“Such a language flex, Pyx!” Journey laughed and switched to common to tease her pink haired friend.

“La spécialité de la maison est la Crème brûlée, mademoiselle.” The waiter answered after looking surprised at the diminutive lady. The gnomes are fey in origin, of course she’d speak the language so well.

“Et bien, je vais vous prendre le crème brûlée. Merci!”

Jazz rolled his eyes at Grim’dur in search of solidarity at this Elven prolific table, only to see his friend smirking and waiting expectantly for the waiter to turn to him, hint of calculated mischief in his eyes.

Grim’dur’s posture became formal and expression haughty as the waiter turned his mocking gaze to him.

“Je prendrais le plateau Spécial fruits de mer, accompagné d’un verre de blanc de votre suggestion… et une Crème brûlée également!” his pronunciation was flawless and the cadence of his speech was similar to what you’d hear in the courts of the High-Elven capital.

For a few moments there was silence, even Pyxis and Journey were blinking in wonder at their polyglot friend.

Writing down the order, their waiter cleared his throat and turned to the last remaining patron.

“Et vous, Monsieur?”

With a deep sigh and a _c’est la vie!_ expression of his face, Jazz turned his gaze back to the menu.

“Je... J’aimerais... merde, c’est quoi le mot... chicken? What the hell, I’ll just have what she’s having.” Pointing towards his pink haired companion, Jazz finished ordering in common with a devil may care smile on his face.

“Désirez-vous autre chose?” The waiter asked looking towards the half-orc at the table, smiling politely.

“Ça sera tout pour l’instant, je vous remercie.”

“Bien, je vous apporte votre commande dans un instant” As the waiter left, the table erupted into questions.

“Mate! What the actual fuck! I was expecting solidarity from your corner and you turn around and talk like you just downed a polyglot potion!!!... Were you hiding one in your backpack?”

“Oh, cause it’s that difficult to believe I’d speak Elven?”

“Not just Elven, you spoke High Elven as if you were raised in the Tourissil capital!” Pyxis added in an impressed voice. “And Journey was accusing me of flexing my language skills,” she playfully stuck her tongue out at the aforementioned woman. 

“Who are you?!?!” Jazz threw his hands in the air. “Journey, do a Detect Good and Evil spell on this guy, I think our friend has been kidnapped and replaced with a fiend!”

“In which case I would be speaking Infernal, not Elven!” Grim’dur smugly added.

“I’d be more impressed if he also spoke Sylvan.” Journey smiled at the bickering pair.

“Quia vos, quicquam.” (for you, anything)

Pyxis laughed and clapped her hands. “Excellent!”

“What did he say?” Journey curiously turned to her pink haired friend, who gave her a mischievous smile.

“You’ll have to find out on your own!”

“For the uninitiated in your little Elven fan club… care to explain how all these languages are different?” Jazz enquired of his companions as he folded his arms.

“Sylvan is the language spoken in the Fey Wild realm… what the ancestors of all fey creatures spoke before crossing over into this human realm many, many millennia ago! It’s the precursor of the modern-day Elven languages and Gnomish.” Pyxis explained with a flourish. “It isn’t often spoken in this world anymore… mostly you find it in writing, kept alive by scholars of lore.”

Journey tapped her chin as she started explaining as well. “The Elven language has different dialects spoken by the different subraces of Elves. The Wood Elves for example live mostly in secluded forests and make their homes in tree tops. Our manner of speaking has slowed down to match the steady, peaceful heartbeat of nature. We elongate our vowels and pause between ideas and we never rush our speech.”

“There are plenty of jokes about how long it takes a Wood Elf to finish a sentence!” Pyxis directed a grin at Journey.

“High elves, on the other hand,” Grim’dur picked up the tale before the girls could derail the topic, “Are urban creatures that built large cities of power and wealth. Unlike their provincial cousins, high elves use a lot of flourish in their language and speak with a faster tempo and clipped vowels.”

“So how did you learn it, Grim?” Jazz asks his friend curiously.

“From my mother, she was a half-elf from the high-elven communities in the capital.”

“Wait, aren’t you already half-orc?”

“I’m half-orc on my father’s side… quarter human and quarter high elf from my mother’s side. Those of unimaginative minds would call me a mutt.” He said this with a laugh, but Journey noticed the strains at the corner of his lips to maintain the smile.

Luckily just then their order arrived.

“You’ve been talking about how great the food is here for weeks now… hope you were not exaggerating with how high the prices are!”

Grim’dur folded the pristine napkin over his lap. “Are all clerics as stingy as you, Journey? Enjoy the fine dining and atmosphere, 'cause I for one have had enough of hard cheese and too salty beef jerky road rations.”

“But can we afford it without going hungry for the foreseeable future?”

“Am I or am I not the keeper of coin in this group? Trust your treasurer more.”

“Whose bright idea was it to give the loot keeping to the mathematically impaired barbarian?” Pyxis added with a laugh.

“Hey, what’s with these discriminatory jokes… barbarians know how to count just fine.” Grim’dur raised up three fingers to make his point and grinned at them. “One, two, many. See, easy as pie.“ His companions were not amused.

Jazz patted him on the shoulder. “Sorry mate, tough crowd tonight.”

And speaking of crowds, right at that moment the door to the ‘T’avern’ tavern was thrown open and a group of armed men walked in. The City Guard were gathered in full force and walking purposefully towards the adventurers’ table.

“Greetings gentlemen… May we be of help to you?” Jazz spoke as he stood up.

From the corner of his eye he noticed Journey discreetly push her chair back and closer to the shield resting on the wall behind her while Pyxis toyed with the clasps of her leather pouch.

The captain of the guard stepped forward as the others formed a human wall barring the path towards the exit.

“Hate to interrupt your lunch, but we’d like you all to accompany us to the guardhouse.”

“Whatever for? We’ve done nothing wrong!” Jazz spoke for the group.

“Breaking and entering into the Mayor’s house, stealing jewelry… are these not considered crimes where you travelers hail from?”

Journey stood up so fast the chair she’d occupied clattered to the floor. “Is there any proof for these accusations you bring?”

“Your blonde companion has been spotted leaving the Mayor’s house not long after midnight. Sneaking around and making himself look quite suspicious.”

“Ah… there is a chance I may have been there around that time, but I assure you my purpose was not for the Mayor’s jewelry.”

“We’ll decide that after trial, till then you and your accomplices must accompany us.”

Grim’dur, who had continued sitting there blissfully and enjoying his Seafood feast decided to intervene. “Gentlemen, there is no reason to rush this, we’ll accompany you and clear all this up AFTER we finish our meal. Why don’t you take a break, order something for yourself… it’s on me.”

The captain got red in the face, hands clenched into fists. “You think you can bribe us? Such insolence! Get up now!” and slapped Grim’dur’s plate off the table and into his lap.

A collective gasp could be heard from all his companions as they knew there was no more room for negotiations now. The white of Grim’s eyes flooded red and the veins on his neck and arms were pulsing with suppressed fury… the barbarian was peaking full rage.

Jazz picked up his lute and jumped atop the table. He took a moment to survey the scene around him.

Journey strapped the shield to her arm, mace ready in the other hand just as Pyxis signaled her for a boost. Using the shield as a launching pad she jumped and grappled onto one of the lower hanging beams, from where she could have a better vantage point for her spells.

Grim’dur just picked up a chair and smashed it into the captain’s face.

And then all hell broke loose!

**Present moment**

Journey felt the electric current coursing down her arm and charging into the spiked mace. Four guards were blocking her path to reaching Jazz and Grim. She hit the closest to her with the shield and used that momentum to pivot on one foot in a graceful arch that brought her mace smashing into another guard. The charged weapon electrified the man and sent stunning currents into the other two opponents.

With all four guards knocked prone and hopefully still alive (if a bit singed) she finally reached her companions.

Grim’Dur stood just ten feet from her, swinging his great axe and sending the men around him flying.

She reached him and covered his blind spot, “I’m on your six!” A warning is always advised when partnering with an enraged barbarian.

“I saw the electric show, knew you weren’t far!” He grabbed a man by his throat and threw him in the air. Trying to subdue your enemy while still keeping them alive was slowing them down. If this were a fight to kill situation, they would have cut their way across easily. Plus, there were still many civilians running around.

She spotted Jazz sparring with a guard on the ledge of a water fountain. Rapier in one hand, he waved his other hand in the air towards a man approaching from the left. The metal of the man’s armor started glowing red hot and he fell to his knees screaming and trying to rip his armor off. 

On the buildings lining the square archers were climbing to the roofs… they couldn’t stay here long.

Journey casted a protective shield around her and Grim’Dur. “We must get to Jazz and then move out of here.”

“Where is Pyxis?” just as he asked that a beam of energy shot past them, hitting one of the guards. “Never mind.” Laughing, Grim forged a path towards Jazz and the pink haired fey at his side. 

Pyxis had a black, mechanical cat with her that was shooting rays of energy out of its mouth. “Perfect timing you two! Loona and the cubes will distract them while we make a run for it… again. Follow me and don’t fall behind! Ready?”

Her three companions nodded and she tapped on the device at her wrist. All at once explosions and fireworks ignited in the square and the mechanical cat continued shooting rays from its mouth. Under the cover of this chaos Pyxis led them into an alley and down a sewage hole.

Once they all climbed in, Grim pulled the metal cover back in place just as Jazz lit up his rapier with a touch of his fingers and a chanted poem. Pyxis brought out one of her energy powered lanterns and they could now see in the pitch darkness.

The sounds from outside were muffled down here and they finally had a moment of respite.

“Is everyone alright? Should I pray over any wounds or broken bones?” Journey asked as she looked over her companions, but they all seemed to be worse for wear, a few bruises and scratches at most.

“You can pray over my broken heart… those bastards ruined a perfectly planned lunch!”

“Well, if Grim can joke about it I guess he’ll be fine.” Journey moved on to check on Pyxis over the offended, “Hey, who’s joking!?”.

“That was insane, why were they so many?… it felt like an army was sent after us.” Jazz said while inspecting their surroundings.

The sewage tunnel had sturdy arched walls and paved floor keeping the muck and human waste at bay in an embanked artificial river.

“That’s because it wasn’t just the city guard after you.” A soft voice sounded from down the dark tunnel, putting them all on the alert again.

“Who said that?!?” Jazz raised his lit rapier to both illuminate his path and take a defensive stance.

From the shadows a cloaked figure stepped into the ring of light, stopping just at the edge so that her face was still hidden in the darkness cast by her hooded robe.

“You’ve stirred quite a commotion today and attracted the attention of more than just the city guard.” The feminine voice sounded exasperated and tired. “Luckily I’m here to take a burden off your hands.”

“Do you have anything to do with this? Did you get us involved in all of this?” Grim came up beside his friend in case the person meant to attack.

“Oh, I wish you’d all have stayed out of it,” The hooded woman hissed with reproach in her voice, “But your amorous friend here took something important with him last night…”

“Wait, how do you know about last night?!”

As Jazz said this the woman stepped fully into the light and removed the hood from her head revealing a sharp, beautiful face with skin red as a hot pepper and silky hair of a dark purple color. Small curved horns starting right behind her bangs decorated her head and her piercing golden eyes almost glowed in the artificial light.

**Fifteen hours earlier**

Just as the Tower bell struck midnight in the city of Swanfort, a shadowy figure leapt from rooftop to rooftop under the cover of darkness.

Climbing down to the open balcony of a stately house, the figure crouched down and listened carefully for any movement.

Taking a thin pick from her belt pouch she fiddled with the lock of the door until it gave a mechanical click of victory.

Stealthy as a cat, the shadow slinked into the dark chamber and closed the door behind her. Scanning the room with eyes immune to the cloaking of darkness she stepped on padded soles towards the desk.

Quiet and efficient, she went through the documents in file cabinets and the working desk, cursing softly as more time passed with no fruition.

Leaving the office, she moved down the corridor towards the master bedroom to continue the search. Hand on the doorknob the cloaked figure stopped short as sounds of moaning could be heard from within.

“This can’t be right” The cloaked woman whispered to herself. “Mayor Halaman shouldn’t be home!”

What the thief did not know was that the Mayor’s wife took ill during the day with a terrible headache and wasn’t able to accompany her husband to the charity gala. Thankfully, the remedy for her ailment appeared not long after her husband’s departure in the form of a handsome man she met recently in the market square.

Stepping back from the door the cloaked figure continued searching in the other rooms, waiting for an opportunity to enter the main suite, knowing her efforts were in vain and the one sure place left to search was inconveniently occupied at the moment.

The silence of the night was disturbed by the clatter of horse hooves as a carriage arrived home a lot earlier than expected. Climbing out the window of a top floor chamber, the woman’s nimble moves easily brought her on the roof.

She remained there to survey the situation. Just as the angry husband entered through the main door, a blonde man dressed in an oversized coat was pushed out the back and into an alley.

A few streets down a group of three were waiting for him.

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously she decided to follow them.

**Present moment**

“So you see, your presence there hindered me greatly!” She finished telling the story to her audience.

“At first I thought you were some random man at the wrong place and time… but why would a clandestine lover have his posse waiting for him outside the house all that time?”

“Hey! We like to cheer our boy on when he gets lucky, who are you to judge!” Grim’dur said as he patted a scowling Jazz on the back.

The red skinned tiefling raised an elegant eyebrow. “Please don’t insult my intelligence… you would be better off with me as an ally.” Her low voice left the unspoken message hanging in the air… that they would be even worse off with her as an enemy.

“An ally to what exactly? What is it that you think we have as a common goal?” Jazz countered this challenge.

“There could be only one reason for which the Mayor put the entire town militia on your tail… you took the letters. You probably already looked over them and saw that it’s basically impossible to read, am I right?

Pyxis had been in charge of decoding and after a sleepless night she fell exhausted into slumber in the early dawn with no result to show for it. This was a sore point for her.

“And I suppose you will give us the means to decode it if we meet certain conditions?” The usually bubbly fey answered tersely. 

“Everything comes at a price, but lucky for you my fee is reasonable.”

The tiefling paused for dramatic effect.

“I want to join your party for this mission.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Cast of characters:  
> Moon - Pyxis (Gnome Artificer)  
> Jupiter - Journey (Half-Elf Cleric)  
> Mars - (a mystery still)  
> Jadeite - Jazz (Human Bard)  
> Nephrite - Grim'Dur (Half-Orc Barbarian)
> 
> Fantasy World Languages:  
> (The players gave real world language equivalent to the fantasy languages of D&D... this is not something official, just an inside joke of the players.)  
> Common - English  
> Elven - French (Canadian for Wood Elves, European for High Elves)  
> Sylvan - Latin
> 
> Elven translation:  
> “Bonjour et bienvenue! Je serai votre serveur aujourd'hui. Êtes-vous prêt à commander?”  
> Good day! I will be your waiter today. Are you ready to order?
> 
> “Je vais vous prendre un hamburger et frites s’il vous plait! Et un verre de cidre.”  
> I would like the burger and fries please! and a glass of cider
> 
> “Pour moi, ça sera le poulet aux épices avec son dôme de riz, un milkshake au chocolat et… que me recommanderiez-vous en guise de dessert ?”  
> For me I'll have the spicy chicken with rice, chocolate milkshake... and what desert would you recommend?
> 
> “La spécialité de la maison est la Crème brûlée, mademoiselle”  
> Our specialty is the Crème brûlée miss
> 
> “Et bien, je vais vous prendre le crème brûlée. Merci!”  
> Well then, Crème brûlée it is ! Thank you !
> 
> “Je prendrais le plateau Spécial fruits de mer, accompagné d’un verre de blanc de votre suggestion… et une Crème brûlée également !”  
> I would like the Seafood Special with a glass white wine that you would recommend to serve with this dish... and the Crème brûlée as well!
> 
> “Et vous, Monsieur?”  
> And you sir?
> 
> “Je... J’aimerais... merde, c’est quoi le mot... chicken?  
> I... I would like... damn, what is the word... chicken?
> 
> “Désirez-vous autre chose?”  
> Anything else I can bring you?
> 
> “Ça sera tout pour l’instant, je vous remercie.”  
> That would be all, thank you
> 
> “Bien, je vous apporte votre commande dans un instant”  
> I will bring your order shortly


	2. Chapter 2

At the end of a cul-de-sac stood a red-brick two story house, wild ivy growing up its west side.

It looked like any other suburban house, one in a dozen of a row with similar red-bricked houses. But inside this home a fantasy world was brewing… one of dark dungeons and fierce dragons! Just past the living room, left at the kitchen entrance and down a flight of stairs, inside a cozy dungeon of their own, a group of six friends stood assembled at their Arthurian table.

A feast of chips and nachos, gummy bears and crunchy snickers piled on the table, fizzy sugary drinks filled their goblets and a plate of homemade cupcakes took the place of honor at the center of the arrangements.

At the head of the table stood a silvery haired young man. He was the leader and coordinated his companions in their merriment.

Behind a shielding screen this story teller hid his trove of knowledge. A stack of books at his elbow, precariously close to the precipice, held the rules and lore of their game. The laptop on an auxiliary chair provided the musical ambiance and quick access to knowledge. Tiny plastic figurines of monsters and heroes alike stood in a neat line, as if awaiting their general’s commands.

On the other side of this dividing screen, the remaining five friends played their roles in this game of make believe. Each had their own tiny hero avatar scattered across a gridded map, awaiting their unfolding story as the dice of destiny rolled around them.

“And I suppose you will give us the means to decode it if we meet certain conditions?” A girl with blonde hair arranged in twin buns said as she locked eyes with the raven-haired woman across from her.

The woman smirked. “Everything comes at a price, but lucky for you my fee is reasonable.”

She paused as the others watched this exchange with smiling interest.

“I want to join your party for this mission.”

“Can we trust you?” A blonde man asked the raven-haired girl.

“Would you really believe me if I just said yes? … all you can do is take a chance and hope for the best.” 

“She must be quite skilled if none of us noticed she was tagging us.” A brunette girl with her hair up in a ponytail said to the inquiring blond man. “What do you think Jazz?”

The blonde man looked to his left at the girl with pigtails who nodded back at him, then to his right at the other end of the table to the man with long brown hair who gave him a thumbs up. And finally, across from him at the girl with the ponytail; she smiled and gave her assent.

Standing up and throwing his arms wide he proclaimed “Welcome to the party!”

A collective “Yaaay!” and applause erupted around the table. The storyteller extended his arm to the raven-haired girl for a formal handshake “Welcome to our campaign Rei, I hope these maniacs won’t scare you away!”

“I’m sure nothing will surprise me after sharing the dorm with Serena over the summer.” Rei answered, a bit overwhelmed by all the sudden attention she was getting.

“Hey, I brought you to this gathering!” The indignant Serena threw some popcorn at her for good measure.

The brunette woman threw her arms around Rei in a gleeful hug. “Welcome! We’re so happy to have you!”

“I want in on the hugs too!” Serena, forgetting her indignation, came from the other side of the table and joined in on the group hug.

“Are you guys doing this in game as well?” The man with long brown hair asked. “Cause her character looked kinda shady and she might shank you.”

“We’re taking a break Nolan, no one gets shanked… yet!” Kudret, their silver haired Dungeon Master said in a mock, menacing tone “Maybe our new member has some questions?” And thus, the fantasy world was put on pause. 

“No questions pop to mind at the moment, but I’m sure as we go along I’ll find something to inquire. Also, you guys do a great job of explaining while in character,” she turned towards the blonde man with a smile, “Thanks for playing dumb about the Elven lore so these guys had an opportunity to geek out over it!” 

“Jaxson doesn’t need to play dumb...auch, hey!” Serena said as she covered her nose and swatted Jax’s hand away.

“As your older cousin, I could say it runs in the family.” Jaxson said as he was trying to flick Serena’s nose again. “Also, you’re very welcome Rei, but these guys really don’t need much prompting when it comes to D&D talk.”

“Speaking of D&D talk, would you guys like to formally introduce your characters? You could start if you want, Rei.” Kudret proposed as a way to get the people better acquainted. While Serena, Rei and Lita knew each other from college, he and the boys only got to meet her today. It would be a good ice breaker and would make the girl feel more included. 

“Sure, start with the new kid.” Rei joked good naturedly. “Well, my character's name is Scarlet… get it, cause she’s a red tiefling and I’m original like that.” Her self-deprecating humor garnered a few chuckles at the table. 

“She’s a rogue, subclass thief. She has red skin, dark purple hair and small, curving horns. Her eyes are golden and she can see in the dark… hmm, and there are a few more details that only the DM will know for now.”

“Ohh, a woman of mystery,” Nolan said with a grin. “I think I may have been right when I called out that shanking.”

“Guess you just gotta watch your back!” Rei countered and was rewarded with a high five from Lita. 

“So what made you want to play a rogue?” Kudret asked her.

“Well, from all the pre-made characters this was the one I liked the most…”

“Wait, pre-made?… Rei, I said I’d help you build a character the proper way!” Serena was indignant again and pouted at her raven-haired friend. 

“Well Sere, I didn’t want to take up too much of your time…” 

“Oh bull, you were binge watching that new series about the royal brits!” Serena didn’t let Rei wiggle her way out of this one. 

“Why you gotta call me out like that?” Rei laughed as she stuck her tongue out at her blonde friend. 

“Let me see your stats.” Lita asked and looked over the rogue’s character sheet. “See, these stats on the side, you add them to your rolls when you make a skill check. Your character is pretty well balanced. As a rogue you have high dexterity and good charisma since you get extra points there for being a tiefling.”

“Ohh, another diplomat!” Jax added once he heard about charisma stats. “I myself am the most charismatic in this group.”

“Only on paper,” Nolan could not help but add, “In real life, the charmer of this gang is obviously Kudret. Just look at how well he pulls off those white socks with yellow crocs.”

The dry look their Dungeon Master gave him could have withered a cactus. “I assumed you were fond of your magical great axe Nolan… but I suppose some mishap could happen where it would be accidentally destroyed.” And wrote a few lines in his notebook as he said this.

Nolan had a horrified look on his face. “You’re pure evil! At least don’t scare the new player on her first day!”

“Ah no, I think that was perfectly deserved… I would have done the same in his place, how else to maintain order and discipline?” Rei said earnestly, garnering a look of approval from the DM. 

“You're gonna do just fine here.” Kudret said as he took a few more notes, smiling this time.

“Oh cuz, your friend is Kudret 2.0!” Jax said with a laugh.

“You think I don’t know, we shared a dorm room over the summer.” Serena added with a small shudder remembering the adjustments she’d had to make to keep the place as orderly and tidy as Rei preferred. 

“Getting back on track to the character sheet,” Lita got their attention again, “I know it may be a bit daunting starting out in a campaign with a level five character and I wish you could have joined us when we all started out at level one; but if you have any questions during the game on what stat modifier you need to use or how to make a certain action, don’t be shy to ask!” 

“The mother hen hath spoken!” Nolan said in a loud voice. “And you better listen to her… she may look nice and docile but cross her and your favorite sweets will be off the menu for weeks!” 

“Speaking from experience there, Nols?” Lita smiled sweetly at him.

“I’m still waiting for the day you’ll start making cherry cheesecake again.”

“What did you do to cross...” Before she could finish her sentence, Nolan interrupted her. 

“You know Rei, I once played a rogue as well… They’re great at stealth missions. I could sneak up on a person in broad daylight and shank ’em.”

Seeing an obvious tactic to avoid the subject of his banishment from cherry cheesecake goodness, she decided to let it slide. “Ah, so that’s where all the shanking reference comes from,” Is what she said instead. 

“How about your character, Serena?” Rei asked, wanting to move the attention to another character until she got the chance to read up on rogues and tieflings. She didn’t expect people to be so into the lore and character building. 

“My Pyxis is a Gnome Artificer!” Serena proclaimed proudly

“Gnome as in those small garden statues?” Rei asked teasingly. 

“Rei! Don’t be mean… no, they look more like elves, with long pointy ears and fey like features... but much shorter, around three or four feet tall. My character has shoulder length pink hair and usually wears overalls that are practical with lots of pockets and hoops to attach her inventions on!” She thought for a moment and then continued. “Technically in 5th edition they are not mentioned as fey descendent, that’s a remnant from older editions… but the DM allowed this quirk.” Serena blew an air kiss at Kudret in gratitude. 

“What is an artificer?… I don’t think I saw that class in the book you lent me.” Rei tried to remember the classes and races she had read about a week ago, but the artificer was not among any she had seen.

“Well no, 'cause I gave you the Player’s Handbook, which is one of the three basic manuals for D&D. The artificer is a newly introduced class for 5th edition D&D that appears in the more recently published books for the Eberron setting and Tasha’s Cauldron…. Buuut, I’m losing you. Never mind all that... just newer class, not part of the basic starter pack.”

“Good, got it, carrying on...” Rei waved for Serena to continue her description.

“An Artificer is like a wizard that decided to go to engineering school. It combines elements of arcana with inventions and gadgets… it’s very steampunk!” 

“Sounds pretty awesome! Can’t wait to see her in action!” Rei was genuinely excited to hear more about their characters, this enthusiasm was contagious. “And your character, Lita?” 

“Journey is a cleric of the Tempest Domain; she worships the God of Thunder himself.”

“She has a thing for Chris Hemsworth in the movie Thor.” Serena whispered conspiratorially to Rei.

“Pffft, who doesn’t?” The raven haired girl gives an appreciative smile. “Should we imagine that is who your God looks like?”

“Why do you think I’m such a devout worshiper?” Lita winked at her.

“Sorry Nols, seems like Lita made her choice.” Jax mocked whispered to his friend.

“If I dyed my hair blonde I think I could pass for a long lost Hemsworth brother… I like my odds now that I know that tall and beefy are her type.” Nols mock whispered back.

“She is rather tall of stature,” Lita continued despite the boys’ thinly veiled gossip, “With wavy brown hair, dark green eyes and fair complexion.”

“So, your character basically looks like you?” Rei remarked after Lita’s description.

“Hah! Hahahaha! Oh, this is too good!” Serena manages to say between fits of laughter and struggles to not fall out of her chair… but just barely. 

“Is it something I said?” If Rei hadn’t already been struggling to keep up with all the new information flying around, her friend’s weird outburst certainly added to the confusion.

Lita had a noticeable blush staining her cheeks, but it was hard to tell if the cause was embarrassment or annoyance.

“You hit that nail right on the head Rei! This topic has been going back and forth between the girls for a while now.” 

“Don’t you start with me as well Jaxson!” Lita directed towards their resident bard, knowing full well the type of trolling him and Serena were capable of when joining forces.

“Oh, darling Rei, how I love your power of perception! Me and Sere have been telling Lita for ages that she always creates characters in her exact image.” Rei was a bit surprised by his statement, not the part about Lita’s lack of originality, but the familiarity he addressed her with, having only just met him less than two hours ago.

“Have I recently grown a pair of pointy ears without noticing?” Trying to ignore the snickering blondes and potentially gain an ally, Lita turns towards Rei and continues, “Being a half-elf, she combines the physical traits of both races, which includes pointed ears, not quite the dramatic length of a full fey, like our trigger happy gnome here…” she gives a pointed look towards Sere for emphasis, “but also sharper angles like high cheekbones, narrow eyes, straight thin nose”.

Rei could see Lita was trying to bullshit herself out of this, her description hitting home more often than not. Now, she could have let it slide and give her a break, but the shenanigans of the blonde cousins were contagious and she felt like causing a bit of mischief herself.

“What about her human traits? I don’t think I caught that in your description.”

“Ah, erm… well, it’s the fleshier parts like her generous curves...” Lita could see that trap a mile away, even without her character’s perception checks; and the moment Rei’s eyes pointedly shifted down to her chest the trap snare closed around her.

“I see… so which one is your fey parent, Mr. or Mrs. Kingsman?”

This time the entire party joined in on the laughter, even Lita allowed an embarrassed giggle at her own expense.

“Seems like Rei’s discovered your undisputed trademark!” Sere giggled and winked at her. “And now we can all unanimously agree and lay this subject to rest… Lita, you’re shit at diversifying your characters.”

“As always, you’re being overly dramatic about this. I don’t consider myself to look identical to my characters… not all, at least.”

“Mmmhmm, sure, tell me again how your previous druid character looked? Cause I remember a tall brunette with green eyes and a penchant for growing plants… and she was a human, so you can’t hide behind the elf ears excuse.” Serena continued with a Cheshire cat smile.

“She had freckles.” Lita deadpanned while pointing to her obviously freckle-less visage.

“Wow, so different, you’re a true chameleon!” Jaxson added his 2 cents to the debate, earning himself a swift kick under the table.

“I mean, hey, why meddle with perfection?” Nolan jumped at the opportunity to slide that flirty remark and flash his charming grin her way. Maybe cherry cheesecake will be open for negotiation again… a man can hope. 

By this point though, Lita was too flustered to respond to anything else besides the slandering of her character-building abilities, so the subtle “smooth bro’” and subsequent fist bump between Jax and Nolan went virtually unnoticed.

“I could continue with other examples; you have a long history…” Serena’s fingers were just preparing to start the embarrassing count when a groan interrupted her.

“Please don’t.” Kudret decided to intervene before the discussion could digress further. “We’ve spent enough time on this debate… so unless you want your next encounter to be against a meteor shower, I suggest we continue with Jaxson’s character description.”

Serena might have been tempted to continue anyway, but previous experience had taught her that Kudret can really hold a grudge and was not above delivering his payback in game; so instead she reached for the bag of chips, loudly opening the wrapper and forgetting the whole thing by the time she tasted the artificial wasabi flavoring.

Sitting right next to her, grin spreading wide on his handsome face, Jax took a drink from his soda to create a bit of suspense “I took a page here from Lita’s book,” a quiet groan could be heard from the other side of the table, “As you recall from our fortuitous meeting in Swanfort, Jazz is a remarkably handsome, golden haired bard. Always has a ready smile to charm the crowd and a friendly air that attracts people to him. You can recognize him by the swaggered gait of his walk and the trail of sweet music he leaves in his wake.”

“So… nothing like you.”

“Lita, don’t be bitter just because I’m more poetic in presenting myself.” Lita’s slow blink was enough to convey her exact thoughts on the matter.

“Isn’t it like calling the kettle black though, writing the character in your image?” Rei reminded him.

“Ohh, so you do see the resemblance!” his voice dipped a bit and was paired with a playful wink “Glad to know I make such great first impressions.”

Such a remark would normally have had her rolling her eyes and ignoring the fool that uttered them, but for some reason today that was not the case. To distract herself from the smile forming at the corner of her lips she turned to Serena with a “Is he always this cocky?” and noticed she was doing a rather adorable impersonation of a chipmunk, puffed cheeks, fist full of snacks in one hand and mobile in the other.

“Hmm, what?”

“Ignoring my character intro! Such betrayal has not been seen since Brutus and Caesar.”

“Save the drama for role playing Jax,” Nolan reminded his blond friend, eager to get to his own description already.

“Darien was texting me, you doofus! He’s sorry he couldn’t make it and was curious how we’re progressing.”

“Tell him not to worry, at the speed you guys are going he’ll still find you in the same place he left you.” The steel in Kudret’s voice was not lost on them.

“You done, bro?” Nolan asked to distract a potentially vindictive Dungeon Master from adding more crimes in his notebook of _Players’ Transgressions_. 

“As a matter of fact...”

“Kewl, so, my character’s name is Grim’Dur.” Nolan continued, finally getting the spotlight to showcase his own character creation. “He’s a half-orc barbarian, path of the Berserker… but don’t be fooled by the class and race. While he can rage and smash with the best of ’em, he’s quite a snob when it comes to the finer things in life.”

“Ah, yes, the restaurant scene.” Rei nodded as she remembered watching and listening to her friends get into the role of their characters, speaking as if they were indeed at that restaurant. “So, Grim’Dur lived in the High-Elven capital?” 

“Ah, thank you for that question, Rei! Indeed he had, for a while growing up he lived with his mother in the grand Elven port capital of Tourissil. She was a warrior herself, a Royal Guard in fact and they lived at the Palace…” Nolan stopped for a moment and thought about it. He has never told his character's life story till now and he would have preferred to reveal it in the voice of Grim’Dur, maybe as they were sitting at a campfire one night, sharing tales from their carefully plotted character’s background. 

“I would love to give you more details about my character, but I feel it’d be more interesting to do so while in game. It sounds better when I tell the story in character. Let Grim’Dur narrate to you his life story.”

“Looking forward to it,” Rei said and realized she truly was curious to find out more about this make believe world and her new party of companions.

“And that would be everyone!” Kudret added as he surveyed his notes, ready to plunge them back into the fantasy world of Dungeons & Dragons.

“That is most definitely NOT everyone!” Serena reminded him. 

As Kudret looked up at them he saw they were all smiling at him.

“What do you mean?”

“She means the unsung hero of our campaign… the one that creates the world and gives life to all the creatures in it. The one that spends hours researching and writing intricate plotlines that we ultimately end up ignoring to chase side quests!” Jax picked up the description with a flare, even brought out his guitar to strum a few cords for dramatic effect. 

“That meteor shower is still waiting to happen… someday.” Kudret sighed at their antics, but it was hard even for him to suppress a smile. 

“He keeps threatening us with that for years, but he’s a big softy.” Lita said as she lifted the plate of cupcakes and offered the DM to have his pick. Bribery in sweets is what has kept her off the notebook of mischief, and this also ensured that Kudret never ended up among the unfortunates that she stopped making desserts for… it was a win-win situation.

“So tell us about yourself, Dungeon Master!” Rei asked, also wanting to include the DM in their fun shenanigans. 

“Dungeon Mastering is usually the role that most people run away from. It basically means I have to babysit the lot of you while you run around in the fantasy world I prepared, create encounters for you to fight in, create complex and interesting NPCs that you will ultimately also want to fight and kill… what else?” Kudret asked while folding his arms over his chest. 

“Don’t forget about dispute settling when we argue over rules.” Nolan added his opinion in the mix. “He accomplishes that quite excellently I might add.” 

“You’re not in the clear yet for that crocs jibe!”

“But I’m getting there!” Nolan winked at Kudret. 

“So… you don’t like being the Dungeon Master?” Rei asked after hearing his not so positive description of the position he held. 

“I love it.” Kudret offered with a wide smile that showed his dimples “It gives me the chance to keep you all in line!” He added with a wink.

“Now get your dice.” Kudret turned to his laptop to change the tune to the ambiental sounds of dripping water and echoes of squeaking rats.

“So, last we left off, you were in the sewers and had just accepted a mysterious new member into your party...”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> Cast of characters:  
> Serena - Pyxis - Gnome Artificer (Artillerist)  
> Lita - Journey - Half-Elf Cleric (Tempest Domain)  
> Rei - Scarlet - Tiefling Rogue (Thief)  
> Jaxson - Jazz -Human Bard (College of Lore)  
> Nolan - Grim'Dur - Half-Orc Barbarian (Berserker Path)  
> Kudret - Dungeon Master 
> 
> Table sitting (for a better understanding of setting):  
> -At each end of the rectangle table sits Kudret and Nolan.  
> -On Kudret's left sits Rei and then Lita  
> -On Kudret's right sits Serena and then Jaxson.


End file.
